Fury as Gabby Petito merchandise is sold online for profit as vlogger’s tragic murder is confirmed
MERCHANDISE about murdered vlogger Gabby Petito is being sold on Amazon and Etsy for a profit just hours after her remains were identified by investigators. The body of Gabby, 22, was found in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, on Sunday and officially identified by coroners on Tuesday. The FBI tweeted that Teton County Coroner Dr. […]
MERCHANDISE about murdered vlogger Gabby Petito is being sold on Amazon and Etsy for a profit just hours after her remains were identified by investigators.
The body of Gabby, 22, was found in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, on Sunday and officially identified by coroners on Tuesday.
The FBI tweeted that Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue ruled the manner of death a homicide in his preliminary findings.
Gabby’s fiance Brian Laundrie, whom she’d been on a cross-country road trip with at the time of her disappearance, remains missing.
Laundrie, who is currently considered a person of interest in her death, was last seen last Tuesday when he told his parents he was going hiking in a nature reserve near Venice, Florida but never returned.
CASHING IN ON TRAGEDY
As a police hunt continues, independent sellers on Etsy and Amazon appear to be attempting to cash in on the tragedy by selling Gabby Petito-branded merchandise on each of the websites.
A search for Petito’s name on Amazon brings up at least four items for sale related to her disappearance.
Read our Gabby Petito live blog for the very latest news and updates…
Three of the items are listed by a seller named SHANZEI, a third-party apparel merchant that appears to either be based in or linked to China.
SHANZEI is selling black cotton t-shirts for both men and women that retail for $12.98.
The t-shirts come in a range of prints, which include images of Gabby lifted from her Instagram page and the words “#FindGabby” or “Praying for Gabby Petito” emblazoned across them.
The seller has also listed a range of Petito-branded men’s and women’s hoodies bearing similar designs. They are retailing for $29.98.
SHANZEI has limited information on its seller profile but indicates that the items will shop from Yuanqu County Jianfeng Trading Company.
It appears the clothing was first listed for sale on Monday, the day after Gabby’s remains were found.
The fourth item listed for sale on Amazon is a self-published book titled, Gabby Petito: Everything You Need To Know About The Missing Travel Influencer, by Victor Micah.
The book, listed in “Memoir short reads”, is being sold on Amazon’s Kindle Store for $2.99.
In a description of the book, Micah pledges to tell readers “Who Gabby Petito really is; [about] Gabby’s disappearance; Where and how her dead body was found; and proof that Brain Laundrie [sic] – Gabby’s boyfriend – killed her.”
Brian Laundrie is not currently considered a suspect in Petito’s murder. It’s unclear what “evidence” Micah’s book details.
The author’s Amazon page reveals a host of other short “biographies” Micah has written on the back of celebrity deaths or trending news stories.
Some of his most recent self-published works include the biographies of Norm Macdonald and The Rolling Stones’ Charlie Watts. Micah also recently published an e-book titled Afghanistan: How The Country Fell To The Taliban Again As The US Government Fell.”
Amazon has been contacted by The Sun for comment regarding the listed items.
‘IN LOVING MEMORY’
Meanwhile, on Etsy, a bevy of T-shirts and hats memorializing Gabby Petito is being sold for between $21 and $33.60.
“In Loving Memory of Gabby Petito” or “Justice for Gabby Petito” is written across the vast majority of the items.
One t-shirt, the most expensive on the website and listed by TumblerBrat, bears the slogan “#GabbyPetito Never Forgotten”.
The seller claims the shirt is being sold to benefit the Petito family, claiming “ALL PROCEEDS” will be sent to Gabby’s loved ones. It’s not specified how that money will be donated to them.
The majority of the other items listed for sale appear to be being sold for profit.
One t-shirt, sold by HumorousInventor, writes in the description of the product: “This t-shirt is everything you’ve dreamed of and more.”
The same seller also has an “In Loving Memory of Gabby Petito” cushion for sale at $31.14.
“A strategically placed accent can bring the whole room to life, and this pillow is just what you need to do that,” the product description reads.
Etsy has also been contacted for comment about the items by The Sun.
People on social media have voiced outrage over the fact the sellers have been allowed to profit off of Gabby’s death on both Etsy and Amazon.
“People are actually selling Gabby Petito merch online. What is wrong with people? I want to call their parents and tattle on them,” wrote Danielle Starry.
FAMILY HEARTBREAK
After Gabby’s death was confirmed by coroners on Tuesday, a Facebook page her family set up in the hopes of finding her alive released a statement sharing their heartbreak.
“Our hearts are broken,” the four-word post read, accompanied by a release from the FBI’s offices in Denver, which confirmed the remains found in Wyoming on Sunday belonged to the van-life blogger, who had last been seen on August 24.
A second post, uploaded roughly 90 minutes later and to the same Facebook page, read “#justiceforgabby” and featured artwork of the 22-year-old with angel wings, a halo and surrounded by two white doves.
Petito’s disappearance and news of her death has gripped the nation over recent days, with authorities still searching for her fiancé, Brian Laundrie.
He and Petito were roughly two months into a four-month adventure when Laundrie returned to his Florida home with their van on September 1.
Now, Laundrie is also missing, and police began to search a 24,000-acre Florida nature preserve over the weekend without success.
HUNT FOR LAUNDRIE
On Tuesday, a woman claimed she spotted a man who she is now certain was Laundrie “acting weird” around the Wyoming campsite where Petito was found dead.
After Gabby’s body was discovered on Sunday, an attorney for the family said: “We are asking the press and news media to have some decorum and sensitivity for Gabby’s family and allow them to grieve.
“I will be in contact with you when Gabby’s family is ready to make a public statement.”
Laundrie’s family also made a statement via their attorney, saying: “The news about Gabby Petito is heartbreaking.”
The statement added: “The Laundrie family prays for Gabby and her family.”
Petito was last seen on August 24, 2021, checking out of a hotel with Laundrie in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Her mother, Nicole Schmidt, revealed that she heard from her daughter on August 27 and 30, but she told Fox News she is not sure if it was actually her as only text messages were exchanged.
“It was just a text. I did not verbally speak to her,” she told the media outlet.
‘FIGHT’ WITNESSED
On the day of the autopsy results, a witness statement taken by Moab County Police, in Utah, came to light, where a man said he saw Petito and Laundrie fighting on August 12.
The witness said “something seemed off” and “it appeared that he didn’t want her in the white van.”
“I heard her say ‘why do you have to be so mean,” the witness added. “It was as if the guy was trying to leave her, and maybe take her phone? Not sure but wanted to help out,” the witness added.
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Gabby Petito timeline
Gabby Petito, 22, was last seen on August 24, leaving a hotel in Utah. Here is a timeline of Gabby Petito's disappearance:
- June 2021 – Gabby Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie set off on a cross-country trip across the US.
- July 4 – Gabby posts photos of herself barefoot in Gove County, Kansas.
- July 8 – Gabby posts photos of herself at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.
- July 18 – Gabby and Brian post photos of themselves at Utah’s Zion National Park.
- August 12 – Body camera footage was released in September showing an encounter Brian and Gabby had with police in Utah. Police confirmed that no significant injuries were reported.
- August 19 – Gabby and Brian post a video on their YouTube channel chronicling their trip. The video receives more than 200,000 views.
- August 24 – Gabby is last spotted leaving a hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- September 1 – Brian returns home to Florida without Gabby.
- September 11 – Gabby’s parents report her missing to Suffolk County police.
- September 15 – Florida’s North Port police announce Brian is a person of interest in the case. He is not charged with any crime.
- September 16 – Utah police release body camera footage of the police encounter with Brian and Gabby.
- September 17 – Brian’s parents say they have not seen their son in a couple of days.
- September 18 – Police announce they were searching Carlton Reserve in Florida for Brian. Police announce they have not found anything.
- September 19 – Authorities in Wyoming say they found a body in Grand Teton National Park. The FBI announces the body was believed to be Gabby’s but a full forensic identification needs to be completed first to confirm.
- September 20 – Police execute a search warrant on Laundrie’s home, seizing his silver Mustang and a hard drive that may contain “evidence relevant to proving that a felony has been committed.”
- September 21 – Officials announce they will be conducting an autopsy on the remains found in Wyoming to confirm whether or not they belong to Gabby. Police also resumed their search for Laundrie, this time on the Venice side of Carlton Reserve.
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